1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to microtags and, more particularly, to a novel microtag and method, the microtag having at least one acuminate snag extending outwardly from the periphery and a preselected indicia on a face for purpose of marking or otherwise tagging an item of personal property wherein each item of personal property is tagged with one or more microtags that are releasably engaged to the item of personal property by the acuminate snag.
2. The Prior Art
The proper identification of personal property is important particularly to prove ownership in the event of inadvertent misplacement or loss through unlawful activity such as theft. The subsequent, proper recovery of the item of personal property requires accurate identification of the property to assure that the correct owner of the property receives the correct item of personal property. This problem is significant even where the particular item of person property is visibly marked with a serial number or such other device since owners rarely properly record serial numbers of person property.
The foregoing problem is compounded by the unlawful interference with ownership of personal property through theft and the like. In particular, it is a common practice by persons belonging to the criminal element in society to remove serial number plates and decals and even replace them with counterfeit or even legitimate serial numbers taken from other articles of equipment. The primary purpose of this activity is to enable the perpetrator to sell or otherwise exchange the item for money or other items of value to the perpetrator. The altered serial number conceals the origin and ownership of the property thereby enabling the perpetrator to more readily dispose of the property for a greater amount of value.
While the use of a Serial number decal is of limited value for indicating ownership, another method for marking an item of personal property involves physically marking the serial number on the item with an indelible ink or by engraving the serial number on the item. Each of the foregoing techniques for property identification can be circumvented, for example, by the simple removal of the serial number or replacement of the serial number decal with another decal. The ease by which these marking systems are circumvented has created a significant problem in personal property recovery.
Another problem with the foregoing techniques for property identification is that the certain tag systems are inappropriate in that they may interfere with the function or even aesthetic appearance of the item. For example, an item of jewelry such as a valuable gem stone mounted in a ring setting is difficult, if not impossible, to mark with an identification system that cannot be easily circumvented.
One specific identification system designed for identifying the source of a particular explosive product involves the use of color-coded microspheres which are blended into the explosive composition. The color-coded microspheres are blended into the explosive during manufacture so as to enable the appropriate police agencies to identify the specific batch that was the source of the particular explosive which created the event which is under investigation. In this case, the number of color-codings available to the manufacture are fairly limited. Further, it would be desirable to mark each item, even every stick of dynamite, with its own specific identity that would not be destroyed by the detonation process.
The patent of Dillon (U.S. Pat. No. 4,143,734) discloses an identification system wherein a plurality of microdots are produced by photoreduction techniques. In particular, the method consists essentially of printing the indicia in multiple units on a large plate with the images being reduced in size by step photographic process. The result is a glass slide having the negative of the image developed thereon. The image is then transferred photographically to a piece of film of the same size as the glass slide. The film is then cut into the individual microdots. The microdots are immersed in a carrier fluid which is used as the vehicle to apply the microdots to the item to be marked.
The reference of Krietemeier et al (U.S. Pat. No. 4,763,928) teaches the identification of articles using a miniature disc cut from a thin film bearing preassigned data. The film is produced as a strip with the individual discs partially severed from the film to enable the user to retrieve individual discs and place them at discrete locations on the articles.
An optically coded identification system for marking an item of personal property is disclosed in the patent of Richardson (U.S. Pat. No. 4,239,261). The labels are formed from a thin microsized plate of generally transparent material having the marking indicia thereon. The indicia is optically coded with a digital bit of data.
A document identification system for authenticating a document is disclosed in the patent of Knop (U.S. Pat. No. 4,661,983) as a random-pattern of microscopic lines that inherently forms in a dielectric coating layer of a three-layer diffractive subtractive filter. An authenticating device permits identification of a genuine document by comparing read-out-line-position information derived by microscopic inspection with read-out digital codes of line information obtained earlier at the time of fabrication of the document.
However, in addition to being able to accurately identify the correct ownership of an item of personal property, there is a critical need to deter theft in the first place. A primary reason property is stolen is that it can be converted into cash or other valuables by use of an intermediary commonly referred to as a "fence." As long as the fence feels that he is sufficiently removed from the actual scene of the crime and the stolen goods, per se, are capable of being rapidly moved to an ultimate buyer without traceability to the fence, the theft of personal property will continue to be a major plague of society.
In view of the foregoing, it would be an advancement in the art to provide a novel microtag for use as an identification system whereby an item of personal property is marked with an identification system that is extremely difficult to circumvent. It would also be a significant advancement in the art to provide a novel microtag and method whereby the microtag includes acuminate snags formed at its periphery to enable the microtag to releasably cling to the item of personal property. Another advancement in the art would be to provide a microtag for use as an identification system that is specifically designed to leave a trail of microtags wherever the item of personal property is moved thereby providing an easily provable trail of evidence thereby significantly discouraging the fencing of stolen property. Such a novel apparatus and method is disclosed and claimed herein.